


Come Back to Me

by failufail



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: A little angst, Drabble, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-06 17:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14061702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/failufail/pseuds/failufail
Summary: There was that little bit of banter in Chapter 14 (if you stayed in the camper in Hammerhead before you left for Insomnia), where the guys were talking about Gladio getting married and them not meeting his S/O yet. So this is takes place right before Gladio leaves for Hammerhead to meet up with the others and the now-awake Noctis.





	Come Back to Me

**Author's Note:**

> Tried my hand a little Gladio drabble. Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint. :)
> 
> No warnings. This is kind of sappy and a little sad. Not full-blown angst though!

You should have been asleep, but the thoughts running rampant through your head kept you awake. Most of it was worry— worry that this would be your last time with Gladio— worry that you’d never see him again after he left for Hammerhead in the next few hours. There was a little bit of fear, too. You knew he could take care of himself. At 33 years old, he was still in peak physical form, and you knew he still trained every day. He was the Captain of the Crownsguard after all. Even so, you still feared for his safety. **  
**

You didn’t know how long you were staring at his back for, tracing the lines of his tattoo with your eyes, but eventually he must have felt your eyes on him because he stirred and turned around to face you. He looked like he was having trouble falling asleep too, his amber eyes still open and alert.  
  
“Can’t sleep?” he asked, placing his hand on your arm.  
  
“Too much going through my head.”  
  
“Wanna talk about it?”  
  
You shrugged, trying to gather your thoughts. You knew Gladio always appreciated honesty, and that’s what he liked the most about you. He already knew you were fretting by the look on your face. “It’s silly,” you finally said. “I shouldn’t be this worried or this scared.”  
  
“No, you shouldn’t,” he said, agreeing with you. “But I guess you can’t help it, not in this case.”  
  
You frowned slightly. He was right, though.  
  
“You can’t fall asleep either,” you stated. “A penny for  _your_  thoughts?”  
  
“Same stuff you’re worrying about,” he said. “There’s just that extra added thought about you.”  
  
“Me?” You were genuinely interested. He was about to throw himself into a major, life-threatening battle and he was thinking about you. Some would think it sweet, but you knew Gladio better— he should be focused on his duty.  
  
“Yup. You.” He gave you a warm smile. His thumb started gently caressing your skin. “My duty is to the King. I’m his Shield, I have to protect him... but somehow in the last couple years I found someone else I’d do anything to protect.”  
  
This was the Gladio no one but you could see. As intimidating and downright scary he could be on the outside sometimes, he was really a big softy underneath it all— at least when it came down to those he cared deeply about.  
  
“Gladio...” You inched yourself forward and snuggled your head into his chest. In turn, he adjusted himself to wrap his arms around you. “You shouldn’t be thinking about me. You’ve got so much more to think about.”  
  
“Can’t be helped.”  
  
There was a moment of comfortable silence then, and you thought that maybe, just maybe, you and Gladio could finally get some sleep. You shut your eyes, simply just feeling his warmth all around you.  
  
“I want to come back to this,” he said softly, his nose nuzzling into your hair.  
  
You hummed in agreement. You wanted him to come back to this too.  
  
“I want to come back to this, always.”  
  
Your eyes opened slowly at that. It was a nice thought, and under normal circumstances, you would totally entertain the thought. Except right now— with what you knew he was about to throw himself into— wasn’t the time.  
  
“Shut up you sap,” you muttered jokingly. “Get your head in the game. You have work in a few hours.”  
  
He chuckled and smiled into your hair. “We should sleep,” he said.  
  
“It’s always night,” you commented lifting your head a little to look up at him. His amber eyes were just as warm as his arms wrapped around you. “We can sleep any time we want. Can we just... be here? With each other? Just for now.”  
  
He hugged you closer, and you pushed yourself up a little more so your face was level with his. Your hand came up to cup his cheek and your thumb grazed over his facial hair.  
  
“Won’t always be. If we get through this—“  
  
“You  _will_  get through it.” Your words were adamant, even though there was the tiniest little sliver of doubt in your mind.  
  
“Okay,  _when_  we get through this, we’ll see the sun shine again.”  
  
A sigh escaped your lips. “It’s been so long, I’m starting to forget what that’s like.”  
  
Gladio smiled at you. “It’ll be nice to finally see you in the sun.”  
  
“I must be as pale as a ghost these days,” you commented. You weren’t a vain person, but being in the dark for ten years had your skin screaming for sunlight. It became mandatory for everyone to take a hefty, daily Vitamin D supplement to keep their bodies functioning, but it only did so much. You missed spending days just basking in the sunlight, the warmth of you sun-kissed skin, and the vibrant colors of the landscapes.  
  
“Still beautiful, though.” His hand came up to trace the contours of your face.

You thought about his comment for a second. He was right— you met when everything was dark, when everything was falling apart. He saved you and a few other Hunters from a bunch of daemons that jumped you at a Coenix station during a simple supply run.

“Let’s go to Galdin when this is over,” you told him. Even though the once beautiful resort was almost completely destroyed and ransacked by daemons, you were sure it would still be beautiful in the sunlight.

“Does that mean I get to see you in a bikini?” he teased with a smirk and a hopeful glint in his eye.

“You’ve seen me in less,” you retorted.

Before he could say another word, you pressed your lips to his for a kiss. It was slow, not needy; just enjoying the feel of him. Neither of you escalated the kiss, perfectly comfortable in each other’s embrace.

The both of you stayed like that for the rest of the night, not hungry for anything else but each other’s company. In between kisses you’d mumble sweet nothings and utter promises for tomorrow and beyond, most of which you hoped would come true. You loved this man with your heart and soul, and the mere thought of losing him had your heart dropping to the pit of your stomach.

When his phone alarm started steadily beeping, signaling him to get himself ready to go, you were hesitant to let him out of the bed. You watched as he pulled his clothes on, and then his boots. Once he was ready to go, you finally got yourself out of bed to walk him out.

He smiled at you, trying to convey positive thoughts. Instead of saying a goodbye, he went with, “I’ll see you later.”

You smiled back, still probably unable to hide the sadness behind it. “I’ll see you later,” you repeated back and kissed him one more time.

As the door shut in front of you, a single tear streaked down your cheek.

On the other side of the door, Gladio reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a black velvet box. He made a silent promise to himself that he’d give it to you when he returned.


End file.
